Red Admiral on a bramble near the Orchid Meadow, 24 June 2020
A few years ago, our treasurer, Judith, was very excited to report that she had found a meadow in Adel Woods which was full of common spotted orchids. None of us knew about it – even though we had been working in the woods for about five years by that time!
Since then FOAW, Steve Joul and various corporate groups have done a lot of work on the meadow which was in danger of disappearing under trees, and himalayan balsam. This is what the meadow looked like in July 2016:
Removing trees from the orchid meadow, 17 July 2016
In September 2018, Steve and one of his volunteers mowed the meadow and I think you will agree that it looked somewhat different!
The orchid meadow, 1 September 2018
That work has paid off as I think that you will agree from the following pictures:
Common spotted orchids: Adel Woods 24 June 2020Adel Woods: 24 June 2020Common spotted orchids: Adel Woods, 24 June 2020Common spotted orchids: Adel Woods 24 June 2020
Your correspondent has never seen a yellowhammer – and quite frankly had no idea what one looked like – but was aware that the call is said to sound like “A little bit of bread and no (or some) cheese”. He was therefore really taken with two pictures of yellowhammers taken by, Diana, one of our volunteers, near her allotment on Eccup Moor Road. I think that you will agree that he or she is a very striking bird.
Here is what Diana says: “I saw it in the hedge on Eccup Moor Road. I am not sure what time of day, but we hear them down the plot singing away most afternoons into the evening. Yellow Hammers have a distinctive call described as sounding like a little bit of bread and some cheeeeese’ It has the rhythm of this phrase with a long whistling note at the end for the word cheese. We recognise their singing then see a flash of yellow of their bright heads speeding by.”
Yellowhammer: Eccup Moor Road, Leeds, 22 June 2020
If you would like to hear their distinctive song, click here to hear the song of the yellowhammer – on the website of british-birdsongs.uk – which is a great resource for learning birdsongs.
If you would like to find out more about yellowhammers, here is the link to the RSPB page.
Interpretational panel to be installed near Adel Crag, and on the path down to the Slabbering Baby
As part of the Meanwood Valley, Wilderness on your Doorstep project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, three interpretation panels are going to be placed in Adel Woods – similar in style to the one by the Slabbering Baby.
Today, David Preston, the Meanwood Valley Ranger, met with FOAW committee members, Roger, Judith and Rob, to agree the siting of the new interpretation panels – which we are hoping will be installed in the next few weeks.
Pointing to the proposed siting of an interpretation panel by the path leading down to the Slabbering Baby
There are two designs of panel. The design shown at the head of this post will be placed on the path from Buckstone Road down to the Slabbering Baby and on Crag Lane near Adel (or Alwoodley) Crag. The other will be placed on Adel Moor.
The interpretation panel to be sited on Adel Moor
We agreed the panel on Adel Moor will be installed at the north eastern corner of the moor, where various paths converge.
Let’s put it there!
The moor is looking very good at the moment, and it hasn’t been abandoned during covid-19 lockdown. One of our committee members has been pulling bracken, and David Preston will be strimming areas where the bracken has suppressed all other plant life.
Choosing a position for the third panel. Who is that old codger on the extreme right? Oh, it’s me!
We agreed to place the final interpretation panel at the junction of Crag Lane with the path leading up to Adel Crag.
Adel (or Alwoodley) Crag 11th June 2020
We are looking forward to seeing the new interpretation panels in place in the next few weeks.
Green Hairstreak Butterfly: Adel Moor, Leeds: 25 April 2020. The butterfly was released after having its picture taken!
Local nature enthusiasts, Lisa and Andy and family, were out today doing their permitted exercise, and looking for the common heath moth on Adel Moor, but were excited to find instead a colony of Green Hairstreak butterflies (callophrys rubi).
This butterfly is found throughout the UK but in the Leeds area, it is notorious for being found only on the Otley Chevin. This is in fact the first report of this species outside the Chevin in the Leeds area – so this is a pretty special find which Lisa and Andy have reported to the local recorders of the Butterfly Conservation Trust. .
Green Hairstreak Butterfly: Adel Moor, Leeds: 25 April 2020.
The caterpillars like to live on bilberry, gorse and heather, and so the habitat on Adel Moor ought to be just what they like: it is very similar to the habitat on the Chevin.
The Green Hairstreak has a very short fly period – from April to May. When not in flight, it holds its wings closed showing only the green underside with its faint white streak. The white streak is variable: sometimes it may be reduced to a few dots and may be almost absent.
The males and females are very similar and are most readily told apart by their behaviour: rival males may be seen in a spiral flight close to shrubs, while the females are more often encountered while laying eggs.
Oh, by the way, Lisa and Andy mentioned that they have seen the tail end of a couple of very fast moving lizards in the same spot over the last few weeks!
This is a photo of a Green Hairstreak taken by Steve Joul on Otley Chevin.
Green Hairstreak Butterfly on Otley Chevin. Photograph taken by Steve Joul
One of our younger Friends, Sophie, spotted this newt in Adel Pond. She and her Dad saw lots – about eight in an area two metres by two metres.
There are three native species of newt in the UK: smooth or common newt; palmate newt; and great crested newt. The newts spotted by Chloe and her Dad were either smooth newts or palmate newts.
Newts spend much of the year on dry land and only take to the water for the breeding period in the Spring and staying there till the Summer. In the rest of the year they can often be found under stones in the garden. A few years ago, I dismantled a wall in our garden and found a bundle of about twenty newts all huddled up in a ball.
Friends of Adel Woods dredge silt from Adel Pond each Autumn and we had successful “newt safaris” with Steve Joul in May 2012 and May 2013 – you can find reports in our blog.
In these days of corona virus frenzy, your correspondent was not sure if anyone would turn up today, but we had a healthy group of nine of us.
The Meanwood Valley Trail – after (from the opposite direction)
Four of us litter picked and picked up seven or eight bags of rubbish, while the rest of us went down to the Meanwood Valley Trail, just south of the cricket pitches, to clear away two birch trees which had fallen across the footpaths, and to cut back holly.
Clearing a path off the Meanwood Valley Trail
We have had so much rain in recent months that the Meanwood Valley Trail was in many places a 15cm deep quagmire. However, the weather was fine and we had a lovely morning of teamwork, conversation, birdsong and even some sunshine at times!
We were meant to work on the Hospice Woodland last Sunday, but adjourned the work party to today due to the anticipated wind and rain from Storm Dennis. In fact, last Sunday morning turned out to very pleasant weatherwise in Alwoodley – despite havoc created by the storm in other parts of the country.
Last night, your correspondent wondered whether he should adjourn again in the light of continued heavy rain and the promise of very high winds and further downpours in the next week, but decided to make a decision at 8 am this morning.
When the blinds were raised this morning, there was little wind and no rain, and so the decision was made to load up and make for the woods.
Actually, nine of us turned up to work on the Hospice Woodland – which is a sign of the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of our amazing volunteers.
The task was to clear the brambles which are growing over the trees. This is something we have been doing for a number of years, and the woodland is looking a lot better for it.
Happy volunteers in the Hospice Woodland: Adel Woods
It turned out to be a lovely morning. The sun came out and there wasn’t a drop of rain, or a gust of wind.
On the way back to the carpark, one of our volunteers was heard to say that coming out in the woods makes her feel insanely happy! One cannot ask for much more in life!
I am delighted to record this report of a sighting of a barn owl near Adel Church, sent to me by Alan Yarker.
A Barn Owl: near Adel Church; photo taken by Alan Yarker
“Just coming back from checking the cows at 9.45am this morning, back via Adel church, and there was a Barn Owl, hunting / quartering across the field just in front of the church. No doubt hungry after the few awful days of weather.
“It eventually flew off in the direction of Adel Mill down to the stream. Ironically those fields, left fallow as they argue over what is to be built, are providing some good hunting habitat.
“The barn owl was still hunting at the field 3pm. This time I took my camera. Quite a distance away, but got some reasonable shots. Bit of a scrap with a Buzzard.
A scrap between a Barn Owl and Buzzard: photo taken by Alan Yarker
“With that bad weather passing, raptors were everywhere, within the fields around the church – sparrow hawks, kites, buzzards, kestrel and barn owl. They must be really hungry. Those fields set aside for building have proved a magnet.“
Barn Owl, near Adel Church, Leeds: photo taken by Alan Yarker
Friends of Adel Woods 